It’s hard to make the argument that both Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes aren’t in a class of their own; they are two of the most successful competitors in UFC history.Hughes is one of the most accomplished grapplers to step into the Octagon and was …
It’s hard to make the argument that both Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes aren’t in a class of their own; they are two of the most successful competitors in UFC history.
Hughes is one of the most accomplished grapplers to step into the Octagon and was arguably the most dominant champion of his era.
Georges St-Pierre is one of the most well-rounded fighters to make his presence known in the UFC, along with being one of the most dynamic and athletic fighters in the sport today. Together, they are two of the most decorated champions of all time.
In this slideshow we’ll compare their careers and look at their overall skill set, competition and title defenses, in order to determine who is the greatest UFC welterweight champion of all time.
Looking to reenter the UFC middleweight division, Alan Belcher might not have to look very far for an opponent. According to MMAWeekly.com, Belcher’s manager, Malki Kawa, suggested that Belcher is one or two fights away from a potential title shot…
Looking to reenter the UFC middleweight division, Alan Belcher might not have to look very far for an opponent.
According to MMAWeekly.com, Belcher’s manager, Malki Kawa, suggested that Belcher is one or two fights away from a potential title shot and said his client is looking a step up in competition for his bout.
“I think it’s two fights away to stay conservative and be more realistic, but there’s a great fight on the horizon for Alan Belcher,” Kawa said.
And that “great fight” could be against heavy-handed Brazilian, Vitor Belfort. “When I talk to Joe (Silva), it’s ‘who does he need to beat to get a shot at the title?’ There’s a couple of names mentioned. Vitor (Belfort) was one of them,” he said.
Belfort is coming off a knockout victory against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 and was expected to face Cung Le at UFC 139 prior to suffering an injury. Belfort was vocal about seeking a new opponent and was eager to compete before the end of the year, as he revealed that the injury was not severe.
While other potential opponents have surfaced like Demian Maia, Belcher is willing to face a top 10 opponent in his next outing. And Kawa has hinted at the possibility of facing Belfort, a bout he said that neither him or Belcher wouldn’t hesitate to accept.
“I love that fight, and I’ll tell you this, Alan loves that fight,” he said.
Although Georges St-Pierre will be unable to compete at UFC 137 this weekend, he didn’t shy away from giving his prediction on the main event featuring BJ Penn and Nick Diaz. St-Pierre, who is sidelined with a knee injury for the remainder of the …
Although Georges St-Pierre will be unable to compete at UFC 137 this weekend, he didn’t shy away from giving his prediction on the main event featuring BJ Penn and Nick Diaz.
St-Pierre, who is sidelined with a knee injury for the remainder of the year, spoke to Fighters.com and believes the former UFC lightweight champion is the superior fighter overall and will overcome the talented Diaz.
“I think BJ Penn will win the fight because I believe he has more skills,” St-Pierre said.
The UFC welterweight champion has fought and defeated the Hawaiian on two separate occasions and said Penn’s mental state is hard to figure out. It is evident that he does not like to work hard or prepare accordingly prior to an upcoming bout, allowing Penn to rely on his skills and natural talent.
St-Pierre assessed both competitors’ skills, and while he believes Diaz is more consistent than Penn, he said when Penn is mentally prepared, he is unstoppable.
“The thing with Penn is sometimes you don’t know what Penn will show up to the fight. If he’s well prepared or injured—I don’t know,” he said.
“Sometimes, I saw him perform very well at the best of his ability (and that’s when) he’s the best guy. But when he doesn’t perform at the best of his ability he can be beat. But, I believe if the right Penn shows up, he’ll win the fight.”
St-Pierre is expected to defend his title against Carlos Condit next year. It is likely that whomever emerges as the winner from this weekend’s main event will be next in line to earn a shot at the champion.
Roy Nelson has called upon Frank Mir to help him prepare for his bout against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137. Mir, who holds victories over both Nelson and Cro Cop, is good friends with the former IFL heavyweight champion. Nelson has trained with Mir oc…
Roy Nelson has called upon Frank Mir to help him prepare for his bout against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137.
Mir, who holds victories over both Nelson and Cro Cop, is good friends with the former IFL heavyweight champion. Nelson has trained with Mir occasionally in the past, however this is the first time Mir has offered his services to The Ultimate Fighter season 10 winner.
In fact, Nelson said their training regimen happened by coincidence.
“This one actually just fell in place. He was a southie, (like) Cro Cop, and me being a good jiu-jitsu guy, like Nogueira, so it was just a perfect fit,” Nelson told NBCSports.com.
Nelson is entering his bout after two consecutive losses to Junior dos Santos and Mir. A potential third loss could send the 265-pound heavyweight down the ladder in the division and prevent him from entering title contention. Also, Nelson has not performed to expectations, often entering bouts looking out of shape and flat-footed.
Earning a victory over Cro Cop next weekend isn’t only expected, but it is crucial for “Big Country.” But despite the pressure, Nelson seems unfazed.
“Everybody always talks about my weight, but that’s throughout my whole entire life. It’s nothing new,” he said. “I hope I just perform better. Looks are in the eye of the beholder.”
Despite Chael Sonnen’s best efforts in luring Anderson Silva for a rematch, “The Spider” is not interested.While the UFC middleweight champion is expected to return next year, he doesn’t intend on standing across the Octagon from Sonnen once again. The…
Despite Chael Sonnen’s best efforts in luring Anderson Silva for a rematch, “The Spider” is not interested.
While the UFC middleweight champion is expected to return next year, he doesn’t intend on standing across the Octagon from Sonnen once again. They fought previously at UFC 117 that saw Silva out-wrestled and dominated for a majority of the bout before securing a submission just moments before the closing bell; it is considered one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history.
However, Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, believes it’s time to seek bigger and better opportunities for the champion.
“Anderson just feels that he doesn’t deserve it yet,” Soares told Sherdog.com, when asked whether Sonnen should get a rematch. “He’s fought him once. He had his opportunity, but hey, if Dana wants to put the fight on again, we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”
Since his loss to the Brazilian, Sonnen has continued to provoke him and request a rematch, even going as far as calling Silva out following his win over Brian Stann at UFC 136. In the post-fight interview, Sonnen had demanded Silva give him a rematch on Super Bowl weekend in February. He even put his own career on the line, should he lose to the champion once again.
Soares explained that while the rematch might generate a lot of interest from fans, it isn’t necessarily Silva’s main priority.
“Let someone try that hasn’t fought for the belt yet,” he said. “We fought Rich Franklin twice. We’ll probably end up having to fight Chael twice. We’re going to end up fighting probably Dan Henderson twice. It’s just like, it would be nice to see some new faces in there getting a crack at it.”
Whether he likes it or not, there isn’t much competition other than Sonnen right now. Silva isn’t committed to move up to 205 pounds, and shows no intention of facing Georges St-Pierre. Sonnen will remain in the title picture until Silva reluctantly agrees to face him.
It’s not very often you see B.J. Penn unsatisfied or disappointed in his performance, so when he learned Carlos Condit was awarded a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, “The Prodigy” was hoping to earn a rematch with Jon Fitch. The two welterwei…
It’s not very often you see B.J. Penn unsatisfied or disappointed in his performance, so when he learned Carlos Condit was awarded a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, “The Prodigy” was hoping to earn a rematch with Jon Fitch.
The two welterweights fought to a draw at UFC 125 in February, which obviously left Penn wanting to avenge the decision, but was offered a more intriguing bout in Nick Diaz instead.
“Fitch keeps on saying all this stuff that he can beat me easy and all these things, so first thing I do is I call up Dana White,” Penn told FiveOuncesofPain.com. “I say, ‘You know what? Perfect, let’s fight Fitch. He said he’s ready to go and said he’d love to fight me.’”
When Penn was informed that Fitch was recovering from a shoulder injury, which would prevent him from being able to compete at UFC 137, he agreed to face Diaz.
The two have been slated to meet in the main event after St-Pierre’s knee injury forced him off the main card entirely. Condit remains the No.1 contender, and he will wait for the champion to heal, rescheduling their title bout for 2012.
As for Fitch, Penn believes they are bound to meet again at some point.
“I’ll fight Fitch anytime. I’d love to fight him again,” he said.
Looking to reenter the UFC middleweight division, Alan Belcher might not have to look very far for an opponent.